Between now and Opening Day, HardballTalk will take a look at each of baseball’s 30 teams, asking the key questions, the not-so-key questions, and generally breaking down their chances for the 2014 season. Next up: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Big Question: After two years of disappointments, do the Angels have a shot? There…

Rays manager Joe Maddon has named Jake Odorizzi the team’s fifth starter, Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports. As a result, Cesar Ramos will contribute out of the bullpen. Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish also reports that Erik Bedard also opted out of his contract with the Rays, who hoped the left-hander…

Beat writer Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times reports that right-handed reliever Juan Carlos Oviedo — formerly known as Leo Nunez — finally reported to Rays camp this weekend. Oviedo was held up by work visa issues in the Dominican Republic — his native country. “I’m happy to be here. I was waiting for it,…

We tried this with the rotations the other day. Once again, I’ll be dipping into my 2014 projections here to rank the bullpens. To come up with the following bullpen ERAs, I simply combined each team’s seven highest-IP relievers, according to my projections. AL Royals – 2.93 Red Sox – 3.14 Athletics – 3.16 Rangers…

The Angels and reliever Ernesto Frieri have avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3.8 million deal, reports Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. Frieri, 28, was eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career and can become a free agent after the 2016 season. Frieri’s 3.80 ERA in 2013 was a career-high, but it is also…

The Rays addressed their need for a closer by acquiring Heath Bell in a three-team trade at the beginning of December. Fernando Rodney, who had been their closer for the past two seasons, became a free agent at the conclusion of the 2013 regular season, but the right-hander has yet to sign with a new…

Here’s the rundown of where this winter’s top 150 free agents are landing, continuously updated throughout the offseason. Re-signings are posted in red, while players signing with new teams are in blue. Stars denote players who received qualifying offers and thus will cost their new team a draft pick if they sign elsewhere. (Non-tenders have…

Both the Padres and the Indians have offered two-year deals and at least $14 million in total to free agent reliever Joaquin Benoit, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. Passan’s source close to the Padres suggests the team’s deal could also include a third-year option. Should Benoit reach such an agreement with either club, he…

Troy Renck of the Denver Post is reporting that the Rockies are close to signing left-handed reliever Boone Logan on a deal believed to be three years in length and around $15 million. The deal will not be finalized until Logan passes a physical. Logan, 29, is an eight-year veteran having spent time with the…